Daemonic Outbreak on Merrin

Ever since their landing on the shores of Merrin, the Catechism had been preparing to break out of their small and vulnerable bridgehead. To the east, on the broad plains of the central continent, the Tau had all butvanished, waiting for the Chaos attack before striking back in a lightning counterstroke.

To the west, General Corchoran's combined force, known as Merrin Army Group North (MAGN), comprised of Tarsis PDF, Cadian, Zadocian and Librian regiments. In contrast to the Tau defence the Imperial Guard had dug in strongly, constructing defences in a line just south of the Noroway hills.

The Catechism considered its options and decided on a double strike,attacking Tau and Imperial assets simultaneously. Moonface's generals were gambling, in his absence, that the new "toy" he had given them would prove most decisive. The devices Moonface had gifted his generals were in fact daemonic artefacts, forged in the warp itself and given to Moonface by an unknown greater Deamon of Tzeentch. Moonface had made a pact with the Daemon that if his forces merely agreed to attack and slaughter targets of his and his generals wishes, they would be able to assume a corporeal form for a temporary period. This the devices, acquired by Moonface over many long millenia, would make possible.

The Daemon accepted the offer and agreed that his forces would attack Moonface's enemies. After all while the devices were under the control of Moonface and his generals, the Daemon could not manifest at will. Even so both sides began plotting and counter plotting, the Tzeentch Daemon setting in motion a plan it hoped would damn all of Tarsis to eternal Chaos.

With the pact in place the forces of the Catechism first moved into Tau held territory, just north of New Southwick. The Tau immediately detected this attack and prepared a limited response. Though numerous the Chaos forces were ill equipped and not backed up by Marine Legions. Shadowstrike,unaware of the Daemonic pact, determined the greater threat still lay with the Imperium, and continued with his planned assault on Montgate to the north, providing only a limited number of Hunter Cadres to meet the Chaos threat.

At first this looked like a sensible move as the Tau forces easily ambushed and halted the lead elements of the Catechism. However once Shadowstrikehad engaged the bulk of his Tau units, disaster occurred. Up and down the length of the front Daemons manifested as the ancient device was activated.Daemons of all powers, greater and lesser poured into reality, striking the Tau troops with little warning. Somehow they managed to survive the Tau firepower and ripped into Shadowstrike's lines, wiping out at least three whole Cadres before the Tau commander ordered a general withdrawal. The Tau then fled over a hundred miles as the Daemons disappeared back into the warp, leaving the Catechism foot troops to mop up and occupy the groun dgiven up. It had been a huge breakthrough for the forces of Chaos.

Meanwhile, while reports were coming in of daemonic incursions against the Tau the Catechism moved against the forces of General Corchoran. Here however the Daemons were expected, and when summoned the Imperial Guardwere waiting. The result was a much more tightly contested confrontation,with daemons being banished back into the warp by battle cannon and lasgun fire as often as making it to the Imperial line. However, once there the daemons proved themselves vastly superior to the mortal humans, ripping them and their tanks apart. By the end of 0211.008M42 General Corchoran's troops had been forced to retreat towards the mountains.

Chaos advance held on Sartano

While part the Catechism landed on Merrin, another headed south and eastinto the Ork held territory on Sartano. Disturbingly the Catechism, for thefirst time on record, summoned a vast Daemonic Horde to aid them againstthe teeming Ork army, and the gamble paid off. Very soon the Daemonic host had swept through the Orks east of the Sartano Heights and drove a wedge into the Ork lines through the factorium district of upper North Side.Thousands of Orks were enveloped, trapped with their backs to the Sartano Sea as the Chaos forces pushed ever southward.

By 2710.008M42 it looked possible that the Ork presence on Sartano would be eliminated. Fighting on two fronts, with Imperial forces dug in towards Southbourne, the greenskins had nowhere to go, but Nazghat's forces, the elite of the ork Waagh! were on the Island in strength.

Nazghat soon put an end to the Ork rout, stiffening Ork resistance andhalting the retreat. Two days later the line had stabilised and it was theturn of Chaos forces to find themselves enveloped as the Catechism over-reached itself. By 3010.008M42 a less mobile, more stable front line had been established, running from the north coast to the south just west of the main factorium district. For now, the Orks on Sartano had survived.

The Catechism lands on Merrin

On 2410.008M42 it became clear to everyone on Tarsis Major that the Night Lords had not come alone. The familiar sight of Catechism forces, and the familiar chanting, alerted Tau and Imperial forces to a change in their fortunes. These forces had not arrived by spacecraft, a fact which disturbed both high commands. The Orks didn't care...

On the night of 2610.008M42 the Catechism made their first move under the cover of an exceptionally dark and still night. On the morning of 2710.008M42, despite their sophisticated sensor equipment, the Tau found themselves under attack by Chaos forces which had landed during the night on the west coast of Merrin.

Furious battles erupted up and down the coast before the Tau could realise that the Chaos forces' objective was the Merrin mines, an area rich in natural resources and a major population centre. The Tau, caught off guard realised that if they defended their positions they would be slaughtered,and so were obliged to withdraw, leaving the Catechism the pride of Tarsis heavy industry and several million new slaves.

Elan Ro secures Tarsis Minor

While the Orks flooded into the Tarsis system Elan Ro was determined to rid the agri-world of Tarsis Minor of all other forces. The Imperial garrison had surrendered on the first day but continued fighting against Chaos and Ork forces were sapping his reserves of men and materiel. The war on Tarsis Minor had to finish, and fast.

With lightning speed Elan Ro struck the Chaos and Ork bases simultaneously, surprising both armies. Small teams raided the Tau enemies at night while hunter cadres secured vital strongholds in the Ork and Chaos controlled areas. Then, they dug in.

This was an unusual tactical decision for the Tau who preferred not to fight on these terms, but while some Tau defended these vital assets from the Ork and Chaos forces, Elan Ro's fastest and best troops harried their enemies, never allowing them to mount a significant or overwhelming assault on his defensive positions. The result was devastating.

The Chaos troops on Tarsis Minor took heavy casualties before withdrawing,but at least twenty thousand Orks had to be killed, one by one, before the Tau could claim victory. Losses were high, but Elan Ro had taken on both the forces of Chaos and the hordes of the Orks, and successfully secured a vital off world base for the continued Tau invasion of Tarsis Major.

Ork arrival

The Ork invasion of Tarsis Major, and of the Tarsis system as a whole was less of a planned invasion and more a series of crashes as hundreds of asteroids, accompanied by crude Ork war vessels, arrived in the system. Some missed their target, a few landing on Tarsis Major, at least two spiralling into the sun, but most of the Orks' modified Roks made it to Tarsis Major. Most made orbit, and the Ork Big Meks teleported thousands of Orks an hour onto the planet, most landing either on Sartano in the South, or on Merrin, near the Tau landing zone.

One large Rok however lost control, plunging into the sea just north of the Tuvan coast, sending an enormous wave which engulfed several towns on the coastal strip. Miraculously most of the Orks survived the impact and began swimming ashore. Very soon the East Tuva peninsular had fallen to the Orks and the mining complex of North Tuva had fallen. After the initial invasion the Imperial forces quickly dug in defensive lines against yet another enemy. Four powers now had to battle it out for control over the strategic heart of the Zadoc subsector.

Tarsis Major update (maps)

Tarsis System update:

Tau defeat Orks & Chaos and take Tarsis Minor.

Tarsis Major Update:

Tarsis Major Tactical Map:

Fighting Continues on Tarsis Minor

While the Imperium got to grips with Chaos on Tarsis Major, the small planet of Tarsis Minor with its 8 million inhabitants, abandoned by the Emperor’s forces, saw significant action. Elan Ro became determined to take the planet for the Tau Empire, but suffered a setback when Orks appeared and began ransacking outlying settlements, previously cleared of enemies by the Tau.

The arrival of the Orks was something of a surprise to the Tau, for although they had participated in the recent fleet action, the Tau command had thought this to be a one off. Even when the Orks appeared on Tarsis Minor, Tau intelligence suggested that it may be the remnants of Ork crews from hulked or crippled warships, seeking a refuge once their ships had been destroyed.

Elan Ro’s troops may have therefore been expecting an easy fight against the Orks, but were soon sent fleeing by some of the toughest Ork fighters they had encountered, equipped with bikes, dreadnoughts and elite Ork fighters. This was definitely not a rag tag naval crew.

Following defeat to the Orks the Tau knew they needed to re-take the initiative and launched a series of raids against Chaos forces still on the planet. Several were successful, if bloody, and the Death Guard elements in particular suffered heavy casualties. The Tau under Elan Ro had resecured their bases on Tarsis Minor by 1810.008M42, though they could not yet claim to have control over the whole world.

Librians push towards Maybourne

Since landing on 0210,008M42 the Chaos forces, led by a vanguard of Night Lords and their Death Guard allies, had made good gains to the south of the Border Heights, taking Maybourne early on in the initial phase of the landings. Raziel had set up command in the strategic centre of Sapphire Harbour, while another company of Night Lords had stationed themselves in Maybourne itself.

Commanding the forces on the continent of Tuva was General Cunningham, a veteran of the Librian campaign and still in favour with the high command, despite the surrender of forces there. His experience against the Tau had put him in good stead for the coming battle and follwing the initial invasion he had dug in his troops in the hills and mountains of the border heights.

Knowing Raziel was likely distracted with other events, Cunningham decided to go on the offensive and attacked the mostly infantry based forces around Maybourne. Cunningham used his Leman Russ and recently acquired Manticore artillery vehicles to good effect, and the veterans of Melberg found that while the Chaos Marines were a stubborn foe, their firepower proved effective against them. Lacking armoured transports the battle became one of attrition, one the Night Lords realised they could not afford.

By 1810.008M42 the Night Lords had fallen back to Maybourne, giving ground rather than taking any more casualties. Here Cunningham’s forces, aided by the Tarsis PDF, halted, knowing to follow into the city would be foolish until Astartes support had arrived. Even so, the Chaos forces, cut off from resupply, had been whittled down. In the north the Tau had not broken out, and the overall commander, Field Marshall Ney, was pleased with the initial gains.

Why Tarsis Major?

How Tarsis Major came to be an unlikely and chaotic four-way struggle is an interesting piece of history. Each of the three invaders had their own powerful and conflicting motives, motives strong enough to ensure that all four of the combatant parties on Tarsis Major became stubborn and unwilling to give ground in the war of 008M42.

The Imperial civilised world of Tarsis Major, with its population of 3.7 billion, is the key to the entire sector. It sits on the only navigable route from Libria and Zadoc to the Hub systems and Terra itself. Throughout the centuries it has been invaded twice, once being totally overrun by Orks, but in the main the planet has grown rich and a little decadent, profiting on rich trading from Terra to the outlying systems.

Since 006M42 its fortunes had declined somewhat, following the loss of the Aleph subsector, but trade between Zadoc, Libria and Terra had for the most part kept the planet content. However in 008M42 it became clear its invasion by at least one of the Imperium’s enemies was imminent, and it began arming for war.

The forces of Chaos were first to consider invading the planet. Gains in the Shadow Worlds and the Rim Worlds had been encouraging, but both the Catechism and the Night Lords wanted more, something grander, and their bases on Typhon and Priam meant the supply distances, prohibitive in previous years, were now short enough to make the invasion possible. In addition, the distance was short enough for the full scale use of the Catechism’s newly completed “Device”.
As it became abundantly clear that Chaos forces were about to invade Tarsis, the Tau considered their options. Tarsis lay on the only navigable route from their holds in the Perseus Deeps and Melberg, to the rich pickings of the Imperium hubward. Further expansion required, at some point, the pacification, conversion or invasion of Tarsis Major, but the Tau had hoped this would be some time away. Many were unwilling to commit to another full scale invasion so soon after Melberg.

The invasion by Chaos changed things. If Tarsis fell to Chaos the planet would become a corrupted fortress, of little material worth but still strategically vital to Tau expansion. Several Water Caste members were dispatched to the system to negotiate an alliance to prevent the Imperial world falling to Chaos, but the Imperial agents saw through their diplomacy and they were all killed out of hand by the Inquisition.

Despite their concerns the Ethereals gave their blessings to a new invasion. If they struck now while the forces of Chaos and the Emperor were fighting each other, they would get a foothold on the planet at the very least, while the system was vulnerable. In addition if their foolish human enemies fought among themselves they would be less able to deal with a Tau invasion. Satisfied that this was the best time to strike, the Tau prepared once again for full scale war.

The Orks were the last to join the party. Warlord Nazghat had no intention of invading Tarsis, hoping the distraction of a three way war would enable his conquests of Zadoc and other nearby worlds to go more smoothly. Unfortunately Orks don’t always think strategically. While Nazghat was blessed with a superior Orky sense of strategy, his sub commanders weren’t and even went so far as to accuse Nazghat of cowardice when he declined to invade Tarsis major.

Many Orks saw the upcoming battle as too good to miss, with Tau, Imperial and Chaos fighting forces in abundance to test themselves against. Reluctantly, realising that to split his forces would be to invite disaster, he agreed to invade the system. It was just as well, as several Ork warbosses had already teleported aboard their ramshackle “invayzhon” barges and disappeared in the general direction of Tarsis…

Tarsis - Initial invasion and thoughts

The initial invasion of Tarsis Major had gone reasonably well for Raziel’s Night Lords forces, landing at the strategic Sapphire harbour, taking the port in amatter of hours. A lightning assault south and west saw the city of Maybourne fall to Chaos before the Imperial Guard could effect a serious defence. The Chaos forces were able to quickly gain a foothold on both sides of the Sartano Strait, landing on both Tuva and Sartano. After the initial invasion the Chaos advance slowed as the initial shock of the landings wore off, but Chaos now had a foothold on the planet.

Two weeks later the Tau arrived, They landed despite heavy anti-aircraft fire from the Imperial defenders, who had learnt from the invasion by Chaos. This invasion however involved far more enmy troops, and the hunter cadres quickly knocked out planetary defences from orbit before landing close to a million fire warriors in just two days. Against this overwhelming local superiority the Imperial defenders had little choice but to allow the Tau to land, this time on the northern part of Merrin, from where the Tau broke out and encircled Southwick, which was abandoned by sea by its defenders.

By 1410.008M42 the Tau landing had also ground to a halt, though both they and the Chaos invaders had established stron bridgeheads. While some in the Water caste feared a repeat of the Melberg attrition, the leaders of the Fire Caste, with superiority in space, were confident they could take the planet within 3 months, so long as the Chaos forces were unable to resupply. This would be an unfortunate miscalculation. Little did they or the Imperium know that the Chaos forces didn’t need reinforcement from space at all…

Meanwhile the Imperial high command resigned itself to the fact that another of its major worlds had been invaded. But this had been the plan. Let them land and then cruch them on the grounf, and the Imperial planners had good reason to be upbeat. The Imperium still held most of the cities and major resource centres, and the Imperial fleet was not vanquished. In the fullness of time they too were sure the invasion of Tarsis would see both Chaos and Tau finally over-reach themselves, leading to a reversal across the subsector. Even better if it a Chaos-Tau front could be ignited, before Imperial losses became severe… Let them fight one another!

The Tau arrived in the Tarsis system in early 10.008M42, finding the Imperial fleet absent, but space far from empty. The cat and mouse game between the three fleets developed in the coming days as the Tau fleet moved ever closer to Tarsis Major.

Jellicoe’s Imperial fleet, fearful of a reappearance of the damaged, but not vanquished Chaos fleet of Admiral Thok, merely shadowed the Tau after getting into position. Occasionally the Tau would send a flotilla of escorts to the rear, and each time the squadron of sword class frigates would flee, before returning to their picketing position to the rear of the Tau.

The Chaos fleet, outnumbered near the planet of Tarsis itself, and without the support of Thok’s massive battlegroup, knew the Tau posed a real threat. The Night Lord’s battlebarge was busy in high orbit, supporting the initial landings on the world, leaving just four Chaos cruisers and a marine strike cruiser to face a far larger Tau force. They decided to call in a favour.

In return for their help on Coronus the Orks had agreed to help the Chaos forces once, as payback. Lord Raziel called in his debt. As the Tau fleet approached an enormous and haphazard energy signature appeared ahead of them, in the shape of an Ork battleship, two cruisers and a host of smaller Ork craft. Further back the four Chaos cruisers lurked, near a rogue planet which orbited Tarsis’ sun in a highly eccentric manner.

The Orks attacked at once, leaving the Chaos cruisers behind. This was not to Lord Raziel’s dislike however as he intended the Orks to take the brunt of the Tau firepower, while he outlflanked the Tau with his Chaos cruisers.

However, the admiral of the Tau fleet, Swiftstar, aided by an enigmatic character acting on behalf of Shadowstrike, was not going to fall for this trick. After skilfully reforming his fleet, Swiftstar slowed, forming up into his defensive “box” formation. The Ork fleet, outnumbered, took terrible punishment and it wasn’t long before they were in real trouble. After dealing with the Orks with massed bomber waves from the Tau Custodian carrier, Swiftstar, despite casting a pessimistic view on the battle, was about to complete a rout.

With the Ork vessels burning and out of control, and with a single merchant class cruiser tying up the only Nigh Lord vessel present, the Tau formed into a crescent, presenting their massive forward firepower towards the now unsupported Chaos fleet. After seeing Defiance crippled and the cruiser Kraken explode, the Chaos admiral disengaged, signalling the Tau fleet had broken through with the loss of just one cruiser crippled.

Raziel, irritated, withdrew his battlebarge in the face of the Tau superiority, but reflected on mixed fortunes. Despite losing two cruisers out of action or destroyed, the Ork fleet had been reduced, and in his service. The Tau would be able to land, but Raziel believed that the delay in their arrival had allowed him to gain a vital foothold on Tarsis, and though the fighting was heavy, he was sure he could defeat the Tau, and the Imperium, on the ground.

Tau Losses
Merchant class cruiser crippled
3 escorts destroyed

Chaos Losses
Cruiser Kraken exploded
Cruiser Defiance crippled

Ork Losses
Battleship crippled
2 Ork Kroozers hulked
6 escorts destroyed

Elan Ro on Tarsis Minor

After his successes in the conquest of Melberg Elan Ro was given the task of taking the small Agri-World of Tarsis Minor, orbiting more distantly than Tarsis Major, with a view to setting up a base while the main Tau invasion force fought the Chaos fleet.

The hunter cadres of Elan Ro’s advance guard arrived by stealth on 0610.008M42 and consolidated their hold over the next few days. However the Tau fleet soon detected a Chaos Marine battle barge in orbit and fled, warning Elan Ro to expect imminent attack. The Chaos assault duly arrived but the Chaos Marines seriously underestimated the strength and ability of Elan Ro’s troops, and the Traitor forces were forced to flee.

The success was short lived however as a battlebarge arrived some two days later, once again forcing the Tau task force in space to run and hide, shielded by their new advanced stealth technology. The Tau were soon assaulted by elite Chaos troops, though the night lords were conspicuous by their absence. Even so the allied Chaos force drove the Tau from the field and established a foothold on the planet. Abandonned by the Imperium as too distant to protect, the world of Tarsis Minor now became contested by Tau and Chaos forces.

TARSIS MAJOR MAP

For Key see below

Aornis Falls

After weeks of inaction the Tau under commander Hawkeye launched their long awaited assault on the remaining Imperial positions on Aornis. The Tau knew Imperial Guard morale was low, cut off and alone while the Imperial fleet pulled back to defend Tarsis Major.

The assault was easier than even Hawkeye could have hoped. Badly led and badly trained, the Guard units' resistance was pitiful, and despite some pockets of stiffer resistance the Imperium gave up their hold on the planet with relatively little bloodshed. Realising the Imperial commanders were attempting to flee in their transport vessels, Hawkeye allowed them to go, preferring to consolidate the Tau hold without needless killing on both sides. Aornis became another in a growing haul of Tau conquests - connecting the recently won Rim world bases with those in the Perseus Deeps

The Imperium abandons the Shadow Worlds

Following disasterous losses on Coronus it was hardly surprising that the Imperial forces on Bothorion, abandonned by the Imperial fleet, supply and then the Dark Angels, crumbled in the face of renewed Ork pressure. By 1010.008M42 the Orks had overrun all remaining Imperial positions on Bothorion and were close to taking the planet.

Meanwhile on Memnon the Eldar launched a furious assault on the Chaos forces still garrisoned there. Having left to plan the invasion of Tarsis Major, the Night Lords were not present when the Eldar fell upon a mix of legion troops and Chaos cultist, wiping the Chaos taint from the soil of Memnon.

Elsewehere in the Shadow worlds the Chaos forced left there to maintain their hold in the Mabb nebula found themselves beset by a renewed Necron threat. The resurgent automatons also awakened on Bothorion, slaughtering an Ork encampment they happened upon. Concern grew in a number of camps at the sudden reappearance of this capricious foe.

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Battle of Tarsis Major

The battle of Tarsis Major became the largest fleet action between Chaos and Imperial forces since the incursions into the Aleph Sector in 001.M42. Admiral Jellicoe had moved a substantial force to Tarsis following the activity in the outer reaches by both Tau and Imperial forces. He knew that the Chaos fleet would strike Tarsis Major sooner or later, and wanted to inflict severe damage on any invasion force well before it reached the planet itself, which had little in the way of external planetary defences.

Jellicoe had mustered eight capital ships at Tarsis, including his flagship, Vanguard, and the Apocalypse class battleship Agamemnon. The admiral was unaware of how many ships Thok and Traegan could or would throw against him, but he hoped the significant presence of the Imperial Navy would deter a full scale Chaos invasion, and it was certainly enough to deal with the Tau.

The news that astropaths had detected eleven Chaos capital ships inbound for Tarsis major came as something of a shock on 0809.008M42. Apparently Imperial intelligence was for once correct, and the forces of Chaos had far more ships available to them than the Imperial Navy had ever thought possible. Despite their recent losses the traitors were still able to outnumber the Imperial vessels by almost 3-2. Never-the-less Jellicoe immediately set off on an intercept course.

Imperial Forces
Vanguard - Retribution Class Battleship
Agamemnon - Apocalypse Class Battleship
Illustrious - Mars Class Battlecruiser
Redoubtable - Dictator Class Cruiser
Indomitable - Gothic Class Cruiser
Conquerer - Lunar Class Cruiser
Ajax - Dauntless Class Light Cruiser
Achilles - Dauntless Class Light Cruiser

Chaos Forces
Mutable Transfiguration - Despoiler Class Battleship
Mjolnir - Despoiler Class Battleship
Ragnarok - Blasphemer Class Fast Battleship
Fafnir - Hades Class Heavy Cruiser
Skoll - Slaughter Class Cruiser
Doombringer - Slaughter Class Cruiser
Unbridled Depravity - Devastation Class Cruiser
Doomblade - Hades Class heavy Cruiser
Reaver - Slaughter Class Cruiser
Queen Hel - Carnage Class Cruiser
Wanton Ruination - Murder Class Cruiser

As the two fleets closed in the outer reaches of the Tarsis system the Chaos fleet organised itself into three divisions while the Imperial Admiral kept his fleet closely packed for mutual support. A battleship led each division with Mutable Transfiguration closing head on with Jellicoe's fleet, while Ragarok and Mjolnir approached from the starboard beam and from starboard respectively. At 20:52 local time the battle of Tarsis Major began.

The first shots were ineffective at extreme range, as Mjolnir's division of long range gunboats opened fire at Vanguard, the most exposed Imperial battleship in the port wing of the fleet. Almost immediately however Agamemnon claimed the battle's first casualty as Doombringer took a direct hit from her Nova Cannon at 21:02. The Hades class cruiser immediately suffered internal fires and power blackouts and was forced to disengage.

The Chaos fleet responded swiftly, with accurate fire from Mjolnir's long range division quickly bracketing Vanguard. The Imperial flagship fired back and did minor damage, but could not whether the storm of three cruisers and a Despoiler class battleship which were closing fast. By 21:19 the ship was almost a wreck, her port batteries disabled and fires consuming her inner structures. Reluctantly Jellicoe formally handed command of the fleet to Agamemnon and disengaged his crippled vessel.

The Imperial fleet, now led by Agamemnon, headed straight for the closest enemy division, intending to apply maximum force to one division before dealing with the others. Their course inevitably meant that Ragnarok and her consorts were to distant to aid the Mutable Transfiguration and her cruisers, while the Mjolnir and attendant capital ships would have to turn in a wide arc to catch the Imperial fleet, now moving away on their starboard bow.

The tactics of the Imperial fleet meant that Mutable Transfiguration, Fafnir and Skoll now faced the entire Imperial battle line. The Despoiler was quickly crippled by concentrated fire from the Dauntless light cruisers and Agamemnon's awesome lance batteries, and heeled off to port making smoke. Fafnir and Skoll faired little better and both were severely damaged in the next few minutes. Mutable Transfiguration disengaged at 21:32, and Fafnir at 22:18, after having been bombed mercilessly by starhawks from Illustrious and Redoubtable.

Skoll suffered a worse fate. The closest ship to the Imperial fleet, which had now swung round 90 degrees to starboard to form a battle line - the Ragnarok and escorts approaching from the bow and Mjolnir and consorts from the starboard beam, Skoll was caught by the full firepower of the Imperial fleet. Unable to disengage, her prow burning brightly, successive ships used her as target practice before the drifting hulk floated out of control out of range.

At 22:20 the Imperial fleet was winning. Four Chaos vessels had been crippled, including a battleship, and one had been destroyed, with only Vanguard taking significant damage. However all this changed at 22:26. By now the Dauntless class light cruisers Ajax and Achilles, formerly in the right wing of the formation, had reached the head of the Imperial battle line, with the heavier cruisers further back and Agamemnon now in the rear. All of a sudden the two light cruisers faced the brunt of Ragnarok and her squadron, while Mjolnir and her long range battlegroup were now abeam and in range.

A colossal firestorm soon raged around the two least protected Imperial ships, but it was Queen Hel who delivered the fateful blow. Her gun batteries scored an impressive set of hits along the spine of Ajax and almost immediately the ship went dark and drifted to port. In one shot the light cruiser had been reduced to a dark and lifeless hulk. Achilles fared no better. Despite using her engines to weave furiously, she was no match for the Blasphemer class battleship Ragnarok at close range, and her unequal duel ended when Ragnarok's heavy guns split her open from prow to stern, Venting plasma and burning brightly Achilles was sent spinning into an asteroid belt.

Seeing that the Chaos fleet had now formed into a coherent battle line the captain of Agamemnon decided to call it a day. Outnumbered and outgunned the commander of the Apocalypse class vessel order his ships to "battle turn away in turn". This they did, turning 90 degrees to port and disengaging. Agamemnon was the last to disengage, using her long range lances once more to pound the Chaos vessels. This time the victim was Queen Hel who was swiftly crippled, her starboard quarter reduced to a mangled mess. Revenge for the Ajax.

And so at 22:45 the battle ended. Both sides searched for survivors with their escort vessels. Both sides' ships, though heavily damaged were able to rendezvous with each other and effect repairs, though Vanguard had to be taken in tow on her journey back to Tarsis Major. The damage also meant the trip would take more than a week. The Chaos fleet meanwhile made for the jump point, leading Jellicoe to believe the battle was a victory. In fact, it was hard to work out what it was, and for who.

The wreck of Skoll was discovered by the Imperium as was the surprisingly intact Achilles. Ajax however was nowhere to be found. After the battle analysts took stock. The Chaos fleet had forced the Imperials to disengage, but overall, despite the damage to Vanguard and the loss of two light cruisers the destruction to the Chaos fleet was more costly, and inflicted by the smaller fleet. Even more strange the Chaos had not pressed their advantage, nor had Jellicoe or any other commander found evidence of an invasion force. Which prompted the question; why had the battle been fought at all?

Jellicoe would find out two days later as his damaged vessels limped back to Tarsis spaceport. While his fleet had faced off against the might of Thok and Tragean, the Night Lords, along with tens of thousands of cultists, had slipped past the battle fleet and arrived in orbit over the planet. One battlebarge and two strike cruisers had been more than enough. The Marines had led the charge and established a foothold on the planet. By the time his fastest ships reached Tarsis the landing would be complete and the beachhead established. The largest diversionary fleet action in history had succeeded.

Battle of Tarsis major

Imperial Losses
Ajax hulked
Achilles hulked
Vanguard crippled

Chaos Losses
Skoll hulked
Mutable Transfiguration crippled
Doombringer crippled
Fafnir crippled
Queen Hel crippled
Doomblade crippled

New fiction post

On the Aleph sector fiction blog.

http://alephsectorfiction.blogspot.com/

The Fall of Coronus

When orbital intelligence indicated the Orks massing in preparation for a final assault Captain Angelus resolved to meet the Ork attack head on and with decisive force. The cumbersome forces of the Imperial Guard were not ready to attack and could not be mobilised to meet the threat in time. Fortunately, a battle barge of the Ordio Malleus had mysteriously arrived in system and responded to the Dark Angel's request for aid. The forces of the Grey Knights and Dark Angels would fight side by side for Coronus.

Angelus well understood the numbers of the Ork horde and the threat they posed. Even with the aid of their Daemonhunter allies the Space Marines alone could not stop them. But they could hold them until the Imperial Guard fully mobilised and moved to crush the enemy.

Squad Lazarus was first to arrive at the scene, re-enforcing a small piquet of guardsmen already posted to the area. They reported movements of Orks and a concealed gun emplacement. The rest of the army was quick to follow, taking up positions whilst the Deathwing teleported in to deal with the emplacement. However their co-ordinates were inaccurate and they were forced to run for cover as the hidden Shokk Attack Gun opened fire. As the company began to engage it rapidly became apparent something was desperately wrong. Positive sightings of Night Lord Traitor Marines began to roll in all along the front at the presence of the Daemonhunters was suddenly explained. Angelus was enraged that the Grey Knights had failed to inform him of this threat. Seething, he repositioned his forces and a long range fire fight erupted.

After long hours of fighting the Imperials seemed to be getting the better of their opponents despite being forced to give ground. The Orks seemed to have been neutralised for the time being. Although they still possessed significant forces they were unable to close on the Imperials and their shooting was ineffectual. The Ravenwing had managed to roll up the right flank but as the day wore on the Night Lords brought their heaviest units into close quarters, including multiple units of Terminators supported by a Land Raider.

With the enemy closing Angelus ordered a full counter attack and a bloody melee erupted. The Imperials succeeded in annihilating their initial targets and the following waves of assault troops, but at great cost. Their Guard support proved even less resilient and the situation became finely balanced. However the Imperials did not have the heavy equipment needed to deal with the Traitor Marine threat and although the Imperials continued to hold off their opponents their defence finally crumbled as night fell.

With the Guard relief still not in sight and night closing in Angelus ordered his company to abandon Coronus to the enemy. The fortress was breached and nothing could save the planet now. As he watched Coronus receded in the view screen Angelus cursed the ineptitude of the Imperial Guard and the meddling of the Night Lords. There was still one hope for the Imperium in this region. Angelus would re-enforce the remained of his forces on Bothorion. After that there would be a reckoning with the Night Lords!

Coronus: Trebbian Legion lose gains

Following the hard won recent victories on Coronus, the Librian Guard units were pulled out of the line and replaced by less experienced Trebbian forces. Unfortunately this move by the Imperium, though necessary, had dreadful consequences. The Trebbians had not had sufficient time to prepare for their posting and when the Ork Warlord seized the initiative the attack was brutal and overwhelming.

The Trebbians were forced to fall back, so fast that the Librians suddenly found themselves almost in the front line once more. Fearing that the disposition of his troops would lead to an Ork massacre the Imperial commander ordered an evacuation back to the trench lines dug by the initial Imperial Guard units deployed on Coronus. The retreat became a rout and the front collapsed. The orks gained all the territory they had lost in recent weeks and by 0209.008M42 the Imperial forces on Coronus were once again surrounded on three sides with the Dark Angels’ base a bastion of defiance.

Night Lords meet Tau in the outer rim of Tarsis

While the Imperium knew that Chaos forces had arrived in the Tarsis sytem it was unaware that the Tau had also sent an expeditionary force to the Imperial held world to conduct a feasibility study on the prospects for a full scale invasion. The ethereals were not convinced the Tau should embark on another costly and ambitious invasion, but more aggressive commanders claimed that without Tarsis Major not only would the recent Tau gains remain under threat, but that further Tau expansion westward would be halted.

In the end Sunstrike sanctioned a scouting force to be sent to the outer reaches of the Tarsis Major system. The force narrowly escaped annihilation before its arrival as it managed to avoid detection by a vastly superior Imperial fleet - in fact this was half the battle fleet of the subsector including two battleships, redeployed to Tarsis by Jellicoe - and made it to the outlying asteroid base far from the yellow sun of Tarsis. There they found that the base had already been taken over by the Night Lords.

The Tau fought a courageous action against the marines but were outgunned and outthought. Immediately the Tau withdrew to lick their wounds and a decision was made by the Tau high command. Aornis would be settled first and their new gains consolidated before any attack on Tarsis Major.

Slow progress to Corunus victory

Back on Coronus the Imperial fleet had been recalled to Caitlen Station. This meant leaving their regiments of Imperial Guard behind and four were deployed alongside the Space Marines of the Dark Angels chapter on the surface of the planet. In an effort to impress their Astartes allies, the Librian Guard units immediately made plans for an attack on the Ork forces to the north of the Dark Angels’ base, but the Orks attacked first.

Nazghat sent his troops, mainly on foot, across the low hills and wetlands of the planetary surface, and realised quite soon that his nemy was Guard, not Marines. Seeing this as an opportunity, the Orks attacked at first light.

Initially the Imperial Guard of the Librian 21st Infantry regiment were caught off guard, and they were hard pressed to hold the tide of green approaching them. However within minutes heavy armour arrived in the shape of Leman Russ main battle tanks and hellhounds, which caused incredible casualties amongst the greenskins. Even so enough got through to put several flame tanks out of action.

The main attack came in the form of mega-armoured Nobz assaulting the main Imperial positions of the Librian forward base. As the sideshow of outflanking sentinels versus Ork dreadnoughts raged in the distance, the main fighting became desperate in the narrow confines of the Imperial base complex. The Ork Nobz refused to die despite withering fire from the humans, and an ill-fated assault by the commanding officer did nothing to raise Imperial morale.

Despite this the Imperial Guard infantry fought doggedly, and finally a unit from the 57th Grenadiers managed to finish off the Ork warboss in charge of the assault and hold on to the forward base. Their leader broken, the Ork attack became sporadic and finally petered out. It had been a successful, if bloody first encounter with Waagh! Nazghat on Coronus, and the Imperial forces began to believe they would eventually secure the world for the Emperor.

Fleets clash in Caitlen outer reaches

At the end of 08.008M42 the Imperial fleet once again met the forces of Lord Traegan’s renegade warfleet, now receiving its orders from Admiral Thok and Lord Raziel of the Night Lords. The strategy was the same, probe the Imperial defences, catch ships and isolate them, thus wearing down the Imperial strength in the subsector. Once again it could not have gone more wrong for the Chaos forces.

The renegades were first detected by the Gothic class Aboukir as a Styx class cuiser emerged from the cover of a small planetesimal in the outer rim region of the Caitlen system. Clearly outclassed, the Aboukir fled, thankful that the Edematous Maximus did not immediately launch her bomber waves. Instead the gothic cruiser was allowed to escape and she immediately called for reinforcements.

Chaos ships, with their higher speed, arrived first, and at one point the Aboukir was tempted to disengage, but Admiral Jellicoe looked at his charts and urged her to continue her flight, she was leading the Chaos forces into a well prepared trap.

The Aboukir led the Chaos force, now joined by the carnage class vessels Retaliation and Pestilent Miasma onward for nearly an hour, before to her captain’s great relief, the signatures of the grand cruiser Canopus and her consort Repulse appeared ahead of her. The game was now afoot.

Even before the Chaos ships got into range they suffered their first disaster as the Edematous Maximus was crippled by a single lucky shot from Repulse’s nova cannon. Almost immediately the styx class vessel was forced to turn hard to starboard and flee the battle. This left the two carnage class vessels to face the three Imperial cruisers, and they paid heavily. Pestilent Miasma was the first to feel the Imperial wrath, and she took several hits from Canopus, supported well by Aboukir, now attacking abeam with her primary lance weaponry.

The carnage class shook under the impacts, then detonated in spectacular fashion. Retaliation soon followed, her magazines exploding in a pyrotechnic display which took out at least one Imperial escort! By now the battle was becoming a total rout and only the late arrival of Wanton Ruination, a murder class cruiser, made any amends.

The murder class approached abeam of the Imperial fleet, but her concentrated firepower was enough to cripple the Repulse, which had found herself in an unfavourable position in order to get her main broadside to fire against Pestilent Miasma. This brief high point for the Chaos fleet did not last long however, as the arrival of the carrier Intrepid from the stern of the Wanton Ruination made it clear that the longer the Chaos crusier stayed around, the shorter would be her lifespan.

The final Chaos cruiser was driven off by bombers from Intrepid and the heavy guns of Canopus, but she escaped serious damage. Cutting her engines and drifting into a nearby asteroid belt, the Chaos cruiser escaped the carnage inflicted that day. In the encounter the Chaos fleet lost two more cruisers, as well as having their second battlecruiser crippled. The ratio of seven to one losses in favour of the Imperium could not be sustained, the Chaos tactics would have to change, as their numerical advantage was being eroded at a tremendous rate.

Battle of Caitlen Outer Rim

Last four battles (Imperium vs Chaos)

Imperial ships lost:
Black Prince (hulked)

Chaos ships lost:
Hand Of Loki (exploded)
Nebelung (exploded)
Brunhilde (hulked & captured)
Wyrmfire (hulked)
Skogul (hulked)
Retaliation (exploded)
Pestilent Miasma (exploded)

Imperial ships crippled:
Renown
Cressy
Repulse
Warrior

Chaos ships crippled:
Edematous Maximus
Horrific
Dark Omen
Ragnarok (fast battleship)

Overall Sector Map

Aornis: Imperial assault flounders

Following the arrival of fresh troops on 0808.008M42 the Imperial commander on Aornis was ready to launch his major assault to remove the Tau forces, under Starfire, from the planet.

His assault was to focus on he major industrial zone around the capital of Aornis, a sprawling city of some half a million. Aornis, a small outpost, boasted only three settlements, and for once the Tau would have to hold their positions in the city of Arcturia, rather than fighting their preferred hit and run battles.

After a furious initial bombardment the troops of the Librian 19th Regiment moved forward in force, using the dense cover of the city to protect them from the awesome Tau firepower. It almost worked. The Tau found it difficult to hold the Imperial troops and several times the commander of the Tau forces considered a withdrawal. However their persistence paid off. After a disasterous outflanking manoeuvre by their Kroot units, the stealth suits infiltration paid dividends, and the Imperial assault floundered when their heavy armour was destroyed by close range fire.

The Imperial commander, bitterly disappointed, ordered a withdrawal from the city, as his troops were exhausted and unsupported, just yards from their objective. The Tau, having weathered the initial assault, now had the advantage on Aornis.

Intercepted Tau communication:

> ++ PRIORITY TRANSMISSION ++

>

> Encrypt Code Tetra Four

> From: Star Fire

> FAO: Hawk Eye

>

> Message Reads:

> Strong Zulu attack on FOB 27 repulsed. Light casualties sustained.

> Imperial casualties also light with heavy armour losses. Our LFO extended

> to marker 3750, FOB 28 established. Recommend immediate mechanised assault

> to exploit this breakthrough, recon elements report no fixed defences

> between FOB 28 and Zulu landing zone. Intel recommends vigorous and

> immediate exploitation could finish this campaign. Many Kroot died to

> obtain this victory, we honour their sacrifice.

>

> /MESSAGE

Thok attacks Imperial Fleet

The attack on 0608.008M42 by chaos forces was not an isolated raid. Shortly after, on 0808.008M42 another fleet was detected near Caitlen station, this time in the Caitlen system itself. Admiral Jellicoe was alarmed when the astropaths reported the signatures of at least five capital ships in the system. Hurridly, Jellicoe redeployed the fleet, moving ships from Zadoc and abandoning the Dark Angels on Coronus. Jellicoe’s redeployment shifted half his fleet to Caitlen, and the other half to Tarsis Major, following reports of Chaos and Tau incursions into Tarsis space.

This redeployment would take time, so on 1508.008M42 the fleet Admiral had only Tiger, the newly commissioned fast battleship, and the three ageing gothic class, Hogue, Aboukir and Cressy to meet the Chaos incursion, with an escort of three sword frigates. He hoped it would be enough.

Under the command of Commodore Dewar, the battlegroup approached the outer rim of the Caitlen system and formed up around their flagship. Using dense gas clouds and asteroid fields the Imperial fleet drew the faster Chaos vessels into the orbiting flotsam of the Caitlen sun, trying to use the gas and dust to their advantage.

The Chaos force immediately closed to give battle, their force made up of the fastest vessels in the Chaos warfleet, two slaughters, two up until now unknown light cruisers, and a fearsome Blasphemer class fast battleship, Ragnarok. Dewar feared he was outgunned.

The initial engagement saw Tiger concentrate her fire on her counterpart, conscious that she outranged the chaos vessel and that the Ragnarok was the greatest threat. It worked. Before the other Chaos vessels were even in range the blasphemer class vessel was burning, turning to starboard and limping out of the battle line.

Then came the Chaos response, as the slaughter class closed on the gothics. However the two slaughters, Ymir and Skoll, were unable to concentrate their fire simultaneously, and found the armoured prows of the Imperial vessels difficult to penetrate. Meanwhile the Hogue, Aboukir and Cressy were able to launch torpedoes on closing, damaging the nearest slaughter, and then fire their lances unimpeded through the gas clouds.

All the while Tiger provided support from further out, using her faster speed to get behind the Chao fleet, firing at the enemy crusiers in their rear aspect. The effect was devastating, and Ymir became the next Chaos casualty, exploding in a flash of light and plasma as she took multiple lance hits. Soon the heretic class light cruiser Skogul was reduced to a hulk and the remaining two Chaos cruisers were forced to flee as the Imperial fleet completed a wide arc around the rear of their battle line. Their position was hopeless and only a lucky shot from Hildr which crippled Cressy prevented a total rout.

The losses were overwhelmingly in the Imperial favour once again, and Commodore Dewar was hailed as a hero on Caitlen station when his flotilla returned. In less than a week the Imperial fleet had destroyed two Chaos capital ships and put three out of action for some time, for the loss of only two ships badly damaged. However, analysts still put the Chaos fleet with an advantage of 3 to 2 over the Imperials, and little did they know that the Chaos raid had been part of a much grander plan to smash the Imperial fleet in the subsector.

Daedalon falls to Chaos

Following the departure of Commander Hawk Eye from Daedalon, it fell to Light Spear alone to defend the small Tau outpost from Chaos attack. Light Spear knew the Night Lords and their newly created legions of supporting troops were on the planet in force, and the Tau were under no illusions as to how difficult it would be to maintain their hold on Daedalon.

On 1208.008M42 a ferocious assault from the lead elements of the Night Lords' forces surprised the Tau forces and penetrated deep into the Tau defence zone before they reacted to the threat. The early stages of the fighting were characterised by unusually poor marksmanship from the Tau, which cost them in the long run. Hammerheads, broadsides and pathfinders were all unable to hit their targets as the Chaos vehicles closed, and by the time they did manage to destroy the Chaos armoured vehicles it was too late. The marines had got close and were able to pile out of their wrecks and assault the Tau defences in fierce hand to hand fighting.

Despite this the battle was by no means a one sided affair. The Tau put up stubborn resistance, falling back in order and fighting a punishing rear guard action which inflicted serious casualties on the advancing Chaos marines. It was in vain however, as Light Spear realised his defensive perimeter had been compromised and he would be unable to hold off a second wave of attacks from his enemy. Grudgingly Light Spear re-embarked his troops onto their Mantas and abandonned Daedalon to its fate. Another world fell to Chaos.

The Catechism takes Tarsis Base

While the fleet of Lord Traegan was busy occupying the Imperial fleet at Caitlen Station, the first signs of the Catechism's next move came on 0808.008M42 as contact was lost with an outlying asteroid base in the Tarsis Major system. The asteroid was mainly used as a waystation for ships exiting the main jump point in the system, and was known to be well armed. Fragmentary messages received the following day revealed the three companies of Trebbian Guard had been brutally massacred by Chaos Marines and cultists who arrived via dreadclaw assault boats.

Images of their final stand in the hydroponics dome, the asteroid base's only vegetation, were briefly broadcast to a stunned population on Tarsis Major, before the Commissariat declared military law and a state of emergency. The Moonface Catechism had arrived in a major Imperial system, and preparations for its defence had to be made.

Templars Angelus “Tresspass” on Mael Kithlann

On 0608.008M42 the Templars Angelus appeared again in the Mabb Nebula, following their own agenda once more. This time they landed on the world known to the Imperium as PXY772-L, a planet of marginal potential colonized briefly several millenia ago. Then contact with the outpost was lost and no-one had set foot on the world since those early settlers. Clearly there was something of value on the planet to the Templar Space marines, and they landed close to set of human ruins which appeared to have the remains of a building constructed for the veneration of the Emperor. Clearly this was the Templar's objective.

The planet however was also known by another name, "Mael Kithlann" to the Eldar, who claimed it as their own. Of course the humans who settled it were not to know, nor were the Space Marines to understand why they came under attack from Eldar forces just hours after their arrival. Once again their appearance on a planet had led to their enemies coming out to meet them, but this time that suited the Marine commander as he used his firepower well to inflict a terrible punishment on the aliens. They withdrew and the Marines were able to complete their business and leave unmolested. Meanwhile Imperial agents desperately tried to contact the wandering Marine chapter in order to secure their assistance as the Imperium hold on the entire subsector wavered.

Dark Angels Strike Back!

Under cover of night a task force under the command of Company Chaplain Gabreal El'Zekial embarked aboard Thunderhawk gunships and made orbit, uncontested by Ork air forces, to rendezvous with the Strike Cruiser Dark Dominion. For too long foul xenos and the polluted followers of the primordial annihilator and been allowed to rampage across Imperial worlds uncontested while Imperial forces gave ground on all fronts. No more!

Making good time the Dark Dominion emerged from the warp under a week later to insert the tiny task force onto the planetary surface of Bothorion. Acting on orbital intelligence the Dark Angels quickly identified concentrations of Tyranid and moved in to attack at dawn. What followed was a deadly game of cat and mouse as the adversaries stalked each other through the ruins of Imperial settlements. It was a game where the Dark Angels had the edge, using the terrain to their advantage to pick away at the xenos a bit at a time. Finally, with the integrity of the swarm critically weakened elements of the Ravenwing struck deep into the heart of the Tyranid horde to assassinate the Hive Tyrant steering it. With the Hive Mind brutally severed the Tyranids were effectively finished on Bothorion and the victorious Marines quickly established their beachhead, installing base facilities and cleansing the last traces of Tyranid contagion before the sun had even reached noon.


Meanwhile a fast moving armoured column sallied forth from the fortified zone of Coronus, making its way deep into Ork held territory to strike at several supply dumps and outlying camps. Ork Speed Freaks sought to hunt down and quash this annoyance, little realising they were heading into a trap. Even so, the Dark Angels were amazed by the speed and aggression of the Ork assault. Any other army would have been dismayed by the suddenness of the Ork charge, but not the Emperors finest! Leaping forwards the Dark Angels matched the ferocity of the Orks, hurtling straight into close quarters combat with the vile aliens, their target the Ork warlord leading the attack. The air shimmered as Deathwing Terminators under the command of Librarian Metatron El'Zurias teleported directly into the path of the Ork advance from the Orbiting Strike Cruiser Angelic Deliverance.

Casualties on both sides were horrendous but within minutes the warlords bodyguard were allfelled and even an influx of fresh Ork warriors was unable to prevent their warlord being torn from his warbike and crushed under the righteous boots of the angels of vengeance. The gene seed enhanced strength, unparallel skill and indefatigable power armoured resilience of the marines allowed them to triumph over the Orks. The heart had been ripped from the Ork force and although they fought on they did so in vain. But the cost to the Dark Angels had been high, with many battle brothers slain or crippled. Enraged at the loss of so many noble brothers the Librarian Metatron strode through the carnage like an avenging angel, exterminating the xenos filth with blasts of pure unadulterated rage so that none dared stand before this vision of destruction incarnate!

The arrival of fresh forces under the command of Captain Angelus El'Zahariel capitalised on the gains Metatron had won and soon half the planet was once more in Imperial hands. No more would the Dark Angels hide behind fortified walls, Coronus would be the Emperors world!

Current Fleet Strengths (Zadoc Subsector)

Imperium: 4* Battleships, 12 Cruisers (1 under repair)
Chaos: 5 Battleships, 19 Cruisers (2 under repair)
Tau: 3 Battleships, Cruisers 12

*Includes “Fast Battleship” Tiger

Imperial Fleet encounters Traegen at Caitlen Station

On 0608.008M42 Admiral Jellicoe received intelligence reports that a Chaos task force under the dreaded Lord Traegan, had left the new base of Typhon under the control of the Night Lords, and was on course for the Caitlen system. Jellicoe realised from the size of the reported fleet that this would not pose a significant threat to the Starfort at Caitlen, but would need dealing with, or the shipping routes between Zadoc and Tarsis Major would come under serious threat.

Jellicoe could not count on his entire fleet to intercept the Chaos vessels, as several had set out for Aornis, following reports of a Tau landing there. Instead he was left with the new grand cruiser Canopus, the carrier Intrepid, and the dominator class cruiser Renown.

With these assets Jellicoe gave command to captain Grant of the Canopus who moved his fleet to the neighbouring system of Aranos, an uninhabited red dwarf star system. There his astropaths had predicted the Chaos fleet would be intercepted. They were right, and early on 0908.008M42 the enemy appeared.

Grant organised his fleet into a tight pack, with Canopus using her long range firepower to protect the shorter range cruisers. Grant’s fleet faced three large chaos cruisers, identified as the styx class Horrific, the slaughter class Dark Omen and the long range carnage class Retaliation.

Early in the battle Grant realised he was facing an inexperienced commander, as the chaos cruisers immediately closed at different speeds, with Dark Omen leaving the other two cruisers behind. She immediately came under sustained fire from Grant’s battlegroup and sustained early damage. Both sides escorts engaged in a furious battle, suffering major damage before disengaging. Meanwhile Retaliation brought herself into the fray, causing damage to Renown. Unfortunately for the Chaos fleet she turned to starboard to bring her main guns to bear, while the Horrific and Dark Omen continued to close.

This action caused the carnage class to actually move away from the battle, in the opposite direction to the Imperial ships, which maintained their battle line, giving full broadsides to the Dark Omen, which was forced to disengage having been crippled, then Horrific, which suffered the same fate.

The Chaos fleet did inflict damage on Grant’s battlegroup, causing serious damage to Renown who sheared out of line to limp home to Caitlen station, but after two hours of battle they were left with Retaliation to face the undamaged Canopus and Intrepid alone. This was a battle she could not win and the Chaos cruiser disengaged.

The battle had been little more than a skirmish but the Imperium once again established her dominance over the fleets of Traegan and Thok, something the Imperial fleet had been able to do for two years without loss to the forces of Chaos. The action also allowed the other Caitlen based ships to successfully reconnoitre Aornis unmolested.

For the Chaos fleet it was a hard lesson in battle tactics, and the damage inflicted ensured that Horrific and Dark Omen would be out of action for at least a month, while the facilities at Caitlen allowed the Imperium to repair Renown in just two weeks. The worry for the Imperium was that the fleets of Traegan and Thok would learn from their mistakes.

Victory Points: Chaos 75, Imperium 163

Hylas: Moonface’s forces take the glory

Just a week following the Night Lords' landing on Hylas the Catechism also sent significant forces to the Shadow Worlds to increase their influence there. It transpired that the Nigth Lords did not ask for this intervention, nor did they necessarily welcome it, but for the time being the two Chaos forces' aims were aligned, strengthening their alliance. However the fact that Moonface dod not confer with his ally, Lord Raziel, on sending troops to Hylas, would not be forgotten.

The Catechism landed on Hylas and encountered Ork Speed Freaks, vanguard scouting forces for Nazghat, terrorising one of the many small Hylas settlements. Upon seeing the Chaos forces the Speed Freaks headed straight for the Catechism's elitist elements, desperate to proove their worth in front of their Warboss. It was however an unfortunate tactical decision. Using no tactics at all the Orks simply ran at the Chaos forces who mowed them down in turn. The Catechism units never lost their resolve, perhaps bolstered by the almost deafening chants broadcast across the battlefield. By the end of 0608.008M42 the Orks had been routed and the Catechism controlled as much of Hylas' territory as did the Night Lords.

The Eldar were appalled by this turn of events and resolved to stop Chaos from taking Hylas, and its important information about the exodite colonies in the Mabb nebula, as well as the intact webway portal. Saim Hann units appeared on the world on 0808.008M42, attempting to flank the Catechism and take them by surprise. It didn't work. Almost lazily the Chaos army turned to meet the new threat, cutting it down and inflicting a heavy defeat on the Eldar. The aliens were forced back through their webway portal while cultists for the Catechism began the work of converting the five million inhabitants of the small colony into useful elements of their war machine. On 1008.008M42 the Imperium declared Hylas lost to the Dark Gods.

Tau land on Aornis

On 0208.008M42 Commander Hawk Eye withdrew his units from Daedalon in order to help establish an advanced base on Aornis. Worn down after Melberg the Tau had been late to begin their campaign for the Rim Worlds and Hawk Eye was determined that the Tau would be first on Aornis to gain a vital advantage. The Tau Fleet, carrying reinforcements under the personal command of Shadow Strike were on their way, ready to start a major campaign of conquest in the region by taking Caitlen Station and preying on the Imperial shipping lanes. Aornis was to be a safe staging post for this.

Once again the Imperial fleet completely missed this new axis of attack by one of its enemies and the landings went unopposed by Imperial forces, though the Tau had to fight off an unexpected ambush from Eldar units. Why the Eldar would attack their sometime allies remained a mystery to the Tau, though two Inquisitorial spies knew the real reason. They had been tracking the movements of this particular Eldar group and had surmised that they had not given up on their quest to obtain the Solar Enslaver.

Lightspear clears Tyranids from Daedalon but Chaos pressures Hawkeye

Commander Lightspear was given overall command of the campaign on Daedalon on 2908.008M42, and his forces landed on the planet without serious difficulties. They were immediately deployed on Hawkeye’s right and began the task of clearing the proposed colony zone of Tyranids. This they did with aplomb, though the topughness and resilience of the creatures of Hive Fleet Phoenix surprised the Tau. Clearly they had evolved better protection from Tau weaponry since their last encounter a year ago.

Meanwhile the Night Lords, irritated by the constant success of the Catechism, were spurred on to take Daedalon for themselves, and launched an attack on the centre of the Tau line. An overwhelming concentration of force was amassed then thrown against Hawkeye’s troops.

After long a bitter fighting Shas'El Hawk Eye was forced to withdraw his troops from Daedalon under intense pressure from the chaos forces of Lord Raziel. As the Night Lords tried to capitalise on their advantage the canny Tau commander infiltrated Tau Piranha, drone squadrons and stealth teams deep into enemy lines, attacking and destroying vital fuel and supply depots. Without these assets the traitor marines were forced to limit their gains whilst they waited for resupply and dealt with the frustrating raids in their rear areas.

Meanwhile the Catechism, also active on Daedalon, found itself fighting the Tyranid menace of Hive Fleet Phoenix. The fighting was hard and deadly and the aliens almost forced the Chaos forces to withdraw, particularly following the death of a notable Lord of the Catechism. The Chaos forces just held on, before driving the Tyranids back into the darkest recesses of Daedalon’s forests. To all intents and purposes Daedalon was free of the Xenos threat by 1008.008M42.

Templars Angelus unable to halt Orks on Bothorion

By 0108.008M42 the Imperial presence in the Shadow worlds had been reduced to a small base on Coronus. On Bothorion the local human population thought that the Emperor had finally delivered them from the Ork and Tyranid menace when a company of the Templars Angelus Chapter arrived to re-establish links with the beleagured Imperial population there. They visited the Holy Shrine on mount Ersin to pay their respects at one of the oldest temples tothe Emperor in all of the Aleph Sector.

Though the Shrine had fallen into disuse some ten thousand years ago when the population of Bothorion was ravaged by an Ork invasion, the Templars treated it with due dignity and respect. However, whilst venerating thier God the Orks of Waagh! Nazghat arrived, having been drawn out by the prospect of a "gud fite" with the best of humanities warriors. The Templars however were not about to allow Nazghat to complete what the Orks had started millenia ago.

The assault by the Orks was bloody, and as the battle escalated the Orks threw more and more of their kind into the fray, headless of the terrible casualties inflicted, but it was their Nobz that took their toll on the Space Marines. Clearly the elite of Naghat's army had turned out to fight against the Astartes, and the mega-armoured veteran Orks proved extremely resilient. Realising his chapter was taking too many losses the Captain of the Templars Angelus withdrew, but not before they had removed several important and holy artefacts from the Shrine.

Zadoc subsector current status